Tuesday, 29 May 2012

'Big Frank' Swift

Big Frank - the story of Manchester City and England keeper Frank Swift who died at Munich.

Out in 2013.

Frank Swift is one of the greatest English goalkeeper’s of
all time. A League, FA Cup and Charity Shield winner with Manchester City, he
represented his country on 33 occasions between 1941 and 1949.

At 6’ 2”, and with massive hands, Blackpool born Swift made
it his business to dominate the penalty area in a constant battle with some of
the games most feared forwards such as Dixie Dean, Tommy Lawton and Billy
Liddell.

Although often injured, and on many occasions knocked
unconscious, Swift, signed from Fleetwood Town, was fearless and unmoveable in
the City goal, playing all but one of over 200 games from the day of his debut,
December 25 1933, up to the start of World War Two.

By then he had won the League in 1936-37, three years after
fainting at the end of the 1934 FA Cup Final victory against Portsmouth, 2-1.
Revived, the emotionally drained youngster then marched up the Wembley steps to
be congratulated by the King who told him “well done, you played well.”

Debuting for England during the war he was a member of the
X1 that thrashed Scotland 8-0 at Maine Road in 1943, a side, containing
Matthews, Carter, Mercer and Cullis that Swift rated as the finest he ever
played with. When competitive football resumed, Swift, who was popular with
crowds everywhere for his willingness to banter with them, was a regular
between the posts for England. In 1948 he was honoured by becoming the first
keeper since 1873 to captain his country when he played brilliantly in one of the
countries greatest ever performances, a 4-0 success against Italy in Turin.

After helping Manchester City to regain their place in the
top flight by winning Division Two in 1946-47, Swift - by now a brilliant
distributor of the ball with both feet and hands - retired two seasons later
after playing 376 games for the club, a figure which would have been many more
if not for the War.

Successful on the pitch, ‘big Frank’, always cheerful away
from it, became a big success

off it with a career in journalism at the News of the World.
Flying home, with ex team mate Matt Busby, after covering the Red Star Belgrade
– Manchester United European cup-tie he was one of eight journalists tragically
killed at Munich in February 1958.

Forty years later in 1998, Swift was one of four Manchester
City legends named in the Football League 100 legends selected to celebrate 100
seasons of League football. Long gone - but never forgotten - it was a
wonderful honour for a great man and a great goalkeeper. Now in the first
biography to be written on him, readers will get a chance to discover more
about the keeper and his exploits.